Thursday 29th December, 2011
The mainstream of Japanese custom bike building has a very specific look—largely created by the hugely influential Tokyo builder Brat Style. And the bikes themselves tend to be quite specific too, mostly based on Yamaha SRs and XS650s, the Kawasaki W650, and Harley-Davidson Sportsters. So it’s very unusual to see this style applied to a European marque. But that’s what the Dutch builder Rno Cycles has just done with this Moto Guzzi V50. Read More »
Sunday 25th December, 2011
It’s time for our annual Christmas Day roundup: the ten most popular bikes from the past six months on Bike EXIF, the world’s biggest custom motorcycle site. This time Triumph is the winning marque, with three machines in our Top Ten. Honda and Moto Guzzi share second place, with two apiece. So without further ado, here are the smash hits from the second half of 2011.
1. Victor Sultana’s Honda CB550 café racer (above). The surprise hit of the year. But was it really a surprise? A classic café racer, immaculately restored and beautifully photographed. In many ways, this lovely 1975 CB550 is the distillation of what Bike EXIF is about. It was the most popular bike on the site by far in the second half of 2011.
2. Olivi Motori Triumph ‘Weslake’ (above). Our second biggest hit was much more contemporary in style. Built by a Triumph dealer from from Florence in Italy, it’s based on a T509-spec Speed Triple. The Weslake connection may be tenuous, but the appeal of the bike itself is undeniable. Read More »
Friday 23rd December, 2011
Spirit of the Seventies is the complete package when it comes to custom motorcycle builders: strong technical skills, a good network of suppliers to supplement those skills, and an instinctive understanding of what makes a great-looking bike. This is the S6 “Dirt Twin”, a commission build that took five months. The client, Spencer Burton, had a strong vision of what he wanted: he’d just sold his MV Agusta and was looking for something completely different. The Sevenoaks-based company picked up the brief, and designer Kevin Taggart set to work—using a 2006 Triumph Scrambler as the starting point. Read More »
Wednesday 21st December, 2011
Nicola Martini describes his workshop as a “laboratory of ideas”. And right now, the Verona-based builder is pushing the visual envelope harder than almost anyone else on the custom scene. This is his latest bike, “Flash Back”—a fearless reworking of the Ducati 1098R. To some it will be sacrilegious, but to others, it will be thought-provoking. The design is dominated by the engine shrouds, which are becoming a trademark of Mr Martini’s specials—check his 2010 Triumph Thruxton “T-Type” for a similar design. Read More »
Monday 19th December, 2011
The Ducati Monster is one of the best-selling motorcycles of recent years. But it isn’t the easiest bike to customize. This one, a 1996 model that’ll be featured in the next issue of Italian Motor Magazine, shows what can be done: it was inspired by 1970s racing Ducatis, and was built to a tight budget in a garden shed. The most expensive parts are the Öhlins shock and the Keihin carbs, which the London-based owner financed by selling his daily ride. ”Everything else was bought slowly over two years—a mix of new, used, converted and fabricated parts. I wanted to keep the project simple and achievable, because I’d never taken a bike to bits before, never mind put one back together!” Read More »
Sunday 18th December, 2011
Friday 16th December, 2011
The French MotoGP rider Randy de Puniet has been spending a fair bit of time in Australia lately. So when he needed a bike to get around Sydney, he gave Deus a call. “Randy’s design brief was for a middleweight, 2-up twin,” says Deus creative director Carby Tuckwell. “Easy enough to kick around the city, and with enough legs for out of town.” Deus’ head wrench Jeremy Tagand is also French, so this custom Kawasaki W650 has been dubbed The French Connection. It’s been lowered at both ends, and the rims and hubs have been given a film of black satin paint to accentuate the big-tired look. The tank is from an SR500, with a simple Daytona speedometer tucked into the front cut-out; a vintage-style headlight supports the tachometer. Read More »
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